Complete Guide to Buying a Toyota Innova Hycross

The Innova is a rare breed, perhaps the only car in India whose sales and reputation among individual buyers haven’t taken a hit despite the MPV’s popularity with fleet operators. The story repeats itself when you consider that Toyota has revised prices substantially with each iteration of the venerable MPV, with buyers lining up unfazed. You can credit the Innova’s legendary reliability, utter comfort, refined powertrains, robust build quality, and fuel efficiency for this phenomenon, something that Toyota hopes to build upon with the most radical Innova yet.  

If you’re planning to bring one home, here’s a Toyota Innova Hycross buying guide that touches upon the MPV’s powertrains, performance, fuel efficiency, comfort, features, and safety.

Also read: Toyota Innova Hycross vs Toyota Innova Crysta

Toyota Innova Hycross Specifications

Why You Should Consider the Toyota Innova Hycross

The Innova was always comfortable, albeit in a very MPV-like manner. However, with the Hycross, the new Innova is now comfortable, but in a very premium car-like manner. Comfort apart, here are two other reasons why the Toyota Innova Hycross is much more than just a reliable people-mover.

Spacious and Comfortable

One of the biggest changes with the new Innova Hycross is that it now uses a monocoque chassis instead of the Innova Crysta’s ladder-frame construction. This accentuates the usability of the Innova’s already class-topping height, resulting in ample headroom for occupants of all rows. This usability factor manifests in the width too, which despite being smaller than the XUV700’s and the Safari’s, can easily accommodate three adults in the middle row. The Innova Hycross is also one of the few 7/8-seaters in India that can easily seat two adults in the third row while offering additional comforts such as individual headrests and recline adjustability.

The Innova Hycross’s higher-end hybrid variants dial up the comfort quotient even further with second-row captain seats with integrated ottomans and a full-recline function, electrically adjustable and ventilated front-row seats, sun blinds, dedicated climate control unit, and a panoramic sunroof.

Overall, the Innova Hycross’s interior is a huge step up from the Crysta’s and brings it closer to the benchmark set by a certain larger, pricier Korean MPV. 

Car-like Driving Manners

Full-fledged MPVs can be intimidating to drive and manoeuvre, especially in urban driving conditions. But despite growing larger over the Crysta, the Innova Hycross is easy to drive as it’s less of an MPV and more of a car. The credit for this again goes to the monocoque chassis, whose front-wheel drive, lighter weight, and greater stiffness result in a planted ride and a lot less body roll. Further enhancing the Hycross’s car-like driving dynamics is its electric power steering, whose consistent feel betrays the fact you’re steering around such a large vehicle. In other words, for existing car owners who’d want a bigger car in keeping with their family’s needs, the Innova Hycross will be, literally, an effortless upgrade. 

Hybrid’s Fuel Efficiency and ADAS Safety Tech

The Innova Hycross’s hybrid variant uses the same petrol engine as the non-hybrid. However, the hybrid’s petrol engine runs a slightly leaner Atkinson combustion cycle, which reduces its torque output (188 Nm) compared to the petrol-only variant (209 Nm). However, the hybrid makes up for this shortfall with its electric motor’s instantaneous peak torque of 206 Nm. Together, the leaner combustion cycle and electric power help the Hycross hybrid clock an impressive mileage of 23.24 kmpl, which is much more than what its rivals and even smaller cars can manage.

Toyota has also introduced the Hycross hybrid with a host of ADAS features such as dynamic cruise control, lane assist, rear cross-traffic alert, blind spot monitor, pre-collision system, and auto high-beam. Given the Hycross’s large dimensions, the blind spot monitor would prove particularly useful in highlighting vehicles moving in the MPV’s blind spot while the rear cross-traffic alert system would flash when a vehicle suddenly intrudes into your reversing route.

Also read: Toyota Innova Hycross vs Toyota Fortuner; Toyota Innova Hycross vs Jeep Meridian

Why You Should Not Consider the Toyota Innova Hycross

Given how the Innova Hycross comes across as better in every way than the stellar Innova Crysta that preceded it, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s perfect. Here are two reasons why that’s not the case.

No Diesel Powertrain

Toyota offers the Innova Hycross in only petrol and petrol hybrid guises. But in this class of vehicles, diesel is the preferred choice of buyers, as evident from other manufacturers still offering diesel powertrains with their 7-seaters and MPVs. Now, the older Innova Crysta does offer a diesel engine but it’s also inferior to the Hycross in terms of space, comfort, driving dynamics, and a sense of premium. While the hybrid’s electric motor with its instantaneous torque somewhat makes up for the absence of a torquey diesel engine, some buyers might miss an oil burner, especially when the car is packed with people and luggage.

No 8-seat Option in Top-end ZX Variant

With the Hycross, the Innova has moved into a segment hitherto populated by just one other MPV, the Kia Carnival. To wit, the Hycross is not just a people carrier, but a luxurious one at that. This is why some buyers might be surprised that the top-end ZX variant of the MPV doesn’t offer a bench seat option for the middle row. Instead, you’ll have to make do with the captain seats. While there’s no doubt they’re very comfortable and luxurious, some buyers would’ve liked the option of a bench seat without settling for lower Hycross variants.

Toyota Innova Hycross Variants

Toyota offers the Innova Hycross in 10 variants, of which the petrol-only variants comprise 7/8-seater configurations in the G-SLF and GX trims. The hybrid powertrain is available only with the VX and higher trims. However, as mentioned previously, the VX and VX (O) trims get 8-seater configurations while the top-of-the-line ZX and ZX (O) trims don’t. 

Best Toyota Innova Hycross Variant to Buy

Let’s get the obvious decision out of the way first. If ADAS is a must-have for you, the top-of-the-line Hycross hybrid ZX (O) is the only option you’ve got. But if ADAS is expendable, which Hycross variant offers the most bang for your buck? It’s definitely not the petrol-only G and GX variants as those variants offer much lower fuel efficiency while the interior is pared down a lot compared to the Hycross hybrid. 

Given the hybrid variant is the best Innova Hycross you can buy, it makes sense to go for the ZX trim as it offers all the features that the VX does while also adding 18-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic sunroof, powered tailgate, ventilated front seats, dual-zone climate control, second-row seats with an ottoman, a 10.1-inch infotainment system, and side and curtain airbags.   

Toyota Innova Hycross Warranty & Service Cost

Toyota offers the Innova Hycross with a standard 3-year/1 lakh km warranty. You can extend this up to a maximum of 5 years/2.2 lakh km. For the hybrid variant, the company offers an 8-year/1.6 lakh km warranty on the battery pack. Rounding off Toyota’s celebrated peace-of-mind and reliability factor is a free roadside assistance package for three years. In terms of service costs, an annual expenditure of roughly Rs. 6,000 – 8,000 is par for the course, for a yearly running of 10,000 km. 

Summary

Despite a shortcoming here and there, the Innova’s status as one of India’s most comfortable MPVs is set to continue with the new Innova Hycross. It ditches a diesel powertrain in favour of a sprightly petrol-hybrid one, adds a touch of luxury and premium to its capacious cabin, and offers a car-like driving experience despite its overarching dimensions. With this Toyota Innova Hycross buying guide, you should have a clearer idea of which variant of India’s favourite MPV will suit your needs the best.